U.S. patent number 8,526,405 [Application Number 12/138,754] was granted by the patent office on 2013-09-03 for routing network requests based on requesting device characteristics.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Apple Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Richard R. Curtis, John L. Jorgensen, Eswar Priyadarshan, Jayasurya Vadrevu. Invention is credited to Richard R. Curtis, John L. Jorgensen, Eswar Priyadarshan, Jayasurya Vadrevu.
United States Patent |
8,526,405 |
Curtis , et al. |
September 3, 2013 |
Routing network requests based on requesting device
characteristics
Abstract
Disclosed are systems and methods for responding to a web page
request from a mobile device by providing the network address of a
server hosting content formatted for the mobile device. The systems
and methods include means and ways for redirecting a request for
URL resolution from a DNS server to an enhanced DNS server with
facilities to determine the kind of the requesting device, e.g.,
whether the requesting device is fixed or mobile.
Inventors: |
Curtis; Richard R. (Lynn,
MA), Jorgensen; John L. (Haverhill, MA), Priyadarshan;
Eswar (West Roxbury, MA), Vadrevu; Jayasurya (Lexington,
MA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Curtis; Richard R.
Jorgensen; John L.
Priyadarshan; Eswar
Vadrevu; Jayasurya |
Lynn
Haverhill
West Roxbury
Lexington |
MA
MA
MA
MA |
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Apple Inc. (Cupertino,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
40431735 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/138,754 |
Filed: |
June 13, 2008 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20090067395 A1 |
Mar 12, 2009 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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60943709 |
Jun 13, 2007 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
370/338; 370/337;
370/328; 370/329; 455/560; 370/330; 370/339; 455/551; 455/517;
455/219; 455/225 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L
29/12066 (20130101); H04L 61/1511 (20130101); H04L
67/04 (20130101); H04W 8/26 (20130101); H04L
67/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04W
84/18 (20090101) |
Field of
Search: |
;370/338,341,337,339,328,329,330 ;455/517,560,219,225,551 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Renner; Brandon
Assistant Examiner: Musa; Abdelnabi
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice
LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to and the benefits of U.S.
Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/943,709, filed on Jun. 13,
2007, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by
reference.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of providing mobile content over a network, the method
comprising the steps of: receiving a request for content at a first
domain name system (DNS) server; determining whether a device type
of a device, from which the request originates, is a mobile device
type or a fixed device type; and, when the device, from which the
request originates, is a mobile device; providing a network address
of a server hosting content formatted for the mobile device type,
thereby causing provision to the mobile device of content
configured for display on the mobile device, wherein subsequent to
the receiving of the request for content at the first DNS server,
the method further comprises instructing the device, from which the
request originates, to redirect the request to a second DNS server
in the network to perform the providing of the network address of
the server hosting content formatted for the mobile device type,
the instructing performed by the first DNS server after processing
of the request on the first DNS server is completed, and wherein
subsequent to the receiving of the request for content at the first
DNS server, the method further comprises processing the request
using the first DNS server to obtain a network address of a server
hosting content formatted for the fixed device type to cause
provisioning to the device of content not configured for display on
the mobile device, when the first DNS server is not authorized to
redirect requests for content to the second DNS server.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for content is
identified by a uniform resource locator and the server hosting
content formatted for the mobile device type is associated with
said uniform resource locator.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing of the network
address of the server hosting content formatted for the mobile
device type comprises identifying a mobile network on which the
request was conveyed, and, based at least in part on the identified
mobile network, causing provision to the mobile device of content
configured for display on the mobile device.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein causing provision of the content
comprises: storing, on at least one server, network-specific
content responsive to the request; directing the request to a
server on which content specific to the mobile network is stored;
and causing the network-specific content to be transmitted to the
mobile device.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the server, on which the content
specific to the mobile network is stored, belongs to a proprietor
of the mobile network.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the proprietor of the mobile
network contributes to the content specific to the mobile
network.
7. The method of claim 4 wherein the server, on which the content
specific to the mobile network is stored, does not belong to a
proprietor of the mobile network.
8. The method of claim 3 wherein the providing of the network
address of the server hosting content formatted for the mobile
device type further comprises: identifying a type of the mobile
device, and based at least in part on the identified type, causing
provision to the mobile device of content configured for display on
the mobile device.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein causing provision of the content
comprises: storing, on at least one server, device-specific content
responsive to the request; directing the request to a server on
which content specific to the mobile device resides; and causing
the device-specific content to be transmitted to the mobile
device.
10. A method of providing mobile content over a network, the method
comprising the steps of: receiving a request for content from a
mobile device; identifying the network on which the request was
conveyed; based on the identification, providing a network address
of a server hosting content formatted for the mobile device,
thereby causing provision to the mobile device of content
configured for display on the mobile device; and when a first DNS
server is authorized to redirect requests for the content to a
second DNS server: subsequent to the receiving of the request,
instructing the mobile device to redirect the request to the second
DNS server in the network, where the second DNS server provides a
network address of a server hosting content formatted for the
mobile device, the instructing performed after processing the
request is completed; and when the first DNS server is not
authorized to redirect requests for the content to the second DNS
server: subsequent to the receiving of the request, processing the
request to obtain a network address of a server hosting content
formatted for a fixed device type to cause provisioning to the
mobile device of content not configured for display on the mobile
device.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein identifying the network on which
the request was conveyed further comprises identifying a type of
the mobile device.
12. A system for handling requests for content over a network, the
system comprising: a first domain name system (DNS) server
configured for receiving a request originating from a mobile
device; a first facility configured to identify, in response to the
request originating from the mobile device, a mobile network on
which the request was conveyed; and a second DNS server having a
second facility located in the second DNS server and configured to
provide a network address of a server hosting content formatted for
mobile devices, thereby causing provision to the mobile device of
content configured for display on the mobile device, wherein the
first facility is located in one of the first DNS server and the
second DNS server, and wherein the first DNS server is configured
to instruct the mobile device to redirect the request to the second
DNS server to receive supplemental content formatted for the mobile
device provided by a content provider after processing of the
request on the first DNS server is completed, and wherein
subsequent to receiving the request, the first DNS server redirects
the request based on authorization by the content provider.
13. The system of claim 12 further comprising a host server
configured to store content specific to at least one mobile network
including the mobile network associated with the requesting mobile
device.
14. The system of claim 12 wherein the first facility is further
configured to identify a type of the mobile device.
15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a host server
configured to store content specific to at least one type of mobile
device including the type of the requesting mobile device.
16. A domain name system (DNS) server comprising: a processor; a
non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions
which are configured to, when executed by the processor, cause the
DNS server to: receive a request from a device; identify whether a
type of the device comprises a mobile device type or a fixed device
type; determine whether a content provider has authorized the DNS
server to redirect the request; and when the type of the device
comprises the mobile device type, and the content provider has
authorized the DNS server to redirect the request, process the
request; and after the request has been processed by the DNS
server, redirect the request to an enhanced DNS server; and when
the type of the device comprises the mobile device type, and the
content provider has not authorized the DNS server to redirect the
request, obtain a network address of a server hosting content
formatted for a fixed device type to provision content not
configured for display on the device.
17. The DNS server of claim 16, where the request comprises a
request for a uniform resource locator (URL).
18. The DNS server of claim 16, further comprising logic configured
to provide at least a portion of standard content associated with
the request.
19. The DNS server of claim 18, where the enhanced DNS server is
configured to provide at least a portion of supplemental content
associated with the request.
20. The DNS server of claim 18, where the enhanced DNS service is
configured to provide one or more advertisements.
21. A method for providing supplemental content to a mobile device,
the method comprising: receiving one or more requests from a
plurality of devices; for each one of the received one or more
requests, identifying whether the request is associated with a
mobile device type; and for each request associated with the mobile
device type and a content provider has authorized redirection:
providing a standard content based on the request, and redirecting
the request to an enhanced DNS server; and for each request
associated with the mobile device type and a content provider has
not authorized redirection; obtaining a network address of a server
hosting content formatted for a fixed device type to provision
content not configured for display on a mobile device.
22. The method of claim 21, where the plurality of devices comprise
a population of the mobile device type and a fixed device type.
23. The method of claim 22, where the standard content is also
provided to requests associated with the fixed device type.
24. The method of claim 23, where the enhanced DNS server is
configured to provide at least a portion of supplemental content
associated with the request.
25. The method of claim 24, where the supplemental content
comprises one or more content which has been adjusted for the
mobile device type.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to Internet routing, and
more specifically to the routing of network requests from mobile
devices.
BACKGROUND
The use of mobile phones in the United States and around the world
has increased dramatically. It is projected that soon the number of
mobile phone users will exceed the number of fixed telephone
subscribers. The proliferation of mobile phone usage has engendered
corresponding advances in mobile phone technology. Mobile phones
can now handle many types of multimedia content. Consumers can
navigate the World Wide Web (the "Web") from their mobile phones to
much the same degree as from their home computers. The
proliferation of these new multimedia mobile phone devices has
accordingly created a ripe market for advertising, which both
third-party advertisers and wireless carrier companies have become
increasingly interested in.
Technology presently in place for browsing the Web on a mobile
phone involves knowledge of the phone's characteristics. For
instance, a web server receiving a request from a known mobile
phone can deliver content suitable for that particular device,
e.g., content adjusted to the screen size and resolution of the
device or to the bandwidth of the employed communication network.
Not only does this approach require more server-side knowledge than
may be easily acquired, but it also precludes the wireless carrier
from interjecting ads or content. Moreover, in most
implementations, the page-serve transaction does not even identify
the carrier, essentially eliminating potential revenue sources for
carriers and third-party advertisers who wish to target advertising
to their customer bases. This approach also limits a carrier's
ability to collaborate with third-party advertisers to provide
integrated media and advertising content while a subscriber is
surfing the web.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides systems and methods for resolving
incoming web page requests from subscribers of communication
services. Embodiments of the invention determine, initially,
whether a request originates from a mobile device (e.g., a cellular
phone, PDA, etc.) or from a fixed device such as a conventional
personal computer. If the request originates from a mobile device,
the mobile network involved is identified. This enables mobile
device carriers to provide targeted content to their subscribers,
including carrier-specific advertisements informing subscribers of
new products or features related to their mobile devices. It also
enables wireless carriers to collaborate with third-party
advertisers to better target a specific market of mobile device
users.
In a first aspect, the invention involves a method of providing
mobile content over a network by determining, upon receipt of a
request for content, whether the request originates from a mobile
or a fixed device, and, if the device is mobile, returning the
network address of a server hosting content formatted for mobile
devices. This causes a mobile device to be provided with content
configured for display on the device. The request for content may
take the form of a uniform resource locator (URL), and in this
case, the server whose network address is provided is associated
with that URL. The method may include the identification of the
network on which the request was conveyed, and, in some
embodiments, also the type of mobile device, and the provision of
accordingly configured content. Further, it may involve storing
network-specific or device-specific content responsive to the
request on one or more servers, directing the request to the
applicable server, and causing content transmission to the device.
The content-hosting server(s) may, but do not have to, belong to
the proprietor of the mobile network. If the server(s) belong to
the proprietor of the mobile network, the network carrier may
contribute to content provided to the mobile device.
In a second aspect, the invention concerns a method of providing
mobile content over a network to a device that has already been
identified as mobile. The method involves receiving a request from
a mobile device, identifying the employed mobile network and,
optionally, the type of mobile device, and providing, based on the
identification, a network address of a server hosting content
formatted for display on the mobile device.
In a third aspect, the invention provides a system for handling
requests for content over a network. The system includes a first
facility which determines whether a request originates from a
mobile device or a fixed device, and a second facility responsive
to the first. When the system receives a request from a mobile
device, the second facility determines the network address of a
server hosting content formatted for the mobile device. The system
may further include a third facility for determining the mobile
network and, optionally, the type of the mobile device. This third
facility may be integrated with the first or the second facility.
The system may also contain a host server storing content specific
to mobile devices and/or networks, including the requesting device
and/or associated network.
In a fourth aspect, the invention provides a modified system that
handles requests for content over a network which are known to
originate from mobile devices. The system includes a first facility
that identifies the mobile network and, in some embodiments, the
type of the mobile device, and a second facility that provides a
network address of a server hosting suitably formatted content.
Again, the host server storing network-specific or device specific
content may be part of the system.
In a fifth aspect, the invention provides an article of manufacture
with computer-readable program portions. These computer-readable
portions include instructions for determining whether a request for
content over a network originates from a mobile or a fixed device,
and for providing, in response to a request from a mobile device,
the network address of a server hosting content formatted for said
device. They may also include instructions for determining the
specific mobile network and device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing discussion will be understood more readily from the
following detailed description of the invention when taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method for providing content
specific to communication devices according to one embodiment of
the invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams depicting a system for
providing content specific to mobile and fixed communication
devices, respectively, according to various embodiments of the
invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram depicting a system for providing
content specific to communication devices according to certain
embodiments of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A user operating an Internet browsing application (browser)
typically submits a web page request in the form of a uniform
resource locator (URL), either by directly entering the URL or by
executing (e.g., clicking on or somehow electing) a link containing
the URL. The web page request is handled in two steps: First, the
browser sends the URL to a series of domain name system (DNS)
servers, which resolve the URL, in a manner well known in the art,
piecewise and from the top-level down into the network address
(such as an IP address) of the web server hosting the requested
content. Second, the browser requests the web page from the server
at the identified network address.
In embodiments of the present invention, a low-level DNS server
redirects the request to an enhanced DNS server, i.e., it returns
the network address of the enhanced DNS server instead of the
network location of the content. The enhanced DNS server determines
the network over which the request was sent, and provides the
network address of a server hosting a version of the requested
content specific to the user's network or device. Typically,
although not necessarily, the URL initially entered by the user
corresponds to web content created for fixed devices, such as
desktop computers, and the enhanced DNS server redirects requests
coming from mobile devices to web content modified for the
particular device, but essentially complying with the user's
request. For example, elements of the original content for fixed
devices can be visually rearranged or resized or in some instances
deleted or substituted to allow for a more suitable presentation on
the smaller display of the mobile device. The enhanced DNS server
may be managed by the content providers, or, in some cases, be
operated by a service provider on its behalf.
As used herein, mobile devices include, but are not necessarily
limited to, electronic communication devices with Internet access
capability having a smaller display than standard stationary
communication devices such as computers. In particular, mobile
devices include mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices,
e.g. SmartPhones, iPhones, or BlackBerrys, or any other type of
portable electronic communication device with Internet access.
However, portability, while giving reason to the term "mobile", is
not an essential feature of mobile devices according to the
invention. Instead, the distinguishing feature of mobile devices as
the term is used herein is a display or screen of a size or
resolution that renders the visual adjustment of web content to the
device necessary or desirable. In addition, mobile devices may have
different or diminished user input facilities as compared to other
communication devices; and consequently, adjusted navigational
tools and input fields may also be desirable. Furthermore, mobile
networks may provide limited bandwidth, placing constraints on the
media types and amount of content suitable for delivery to mobile
devices.
The term "mobile carriers" (also "wireless carriers", or simply
"carriers") typically refers to companies operating mobile networks
and providing services to mobile phone subscribers, such as
Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.
The term "fixed devices" as used herein refers to electronic
communication and/or data processing devices with Internet access
capability and with a screen or display of standard size and
resolution, wherein the term "standard" signifies that little or no
visual adjustment of web content is needed for rendering or
display. Fixed devices include, in particular, desktop computers.
However, laptop computers, although portable, are also considered
"fixed" herein if their screen size and resolution suffice to
support the display of web content without adjustment.
Servers include computers providing services to other computing
devices upon request over a network, such as http servers using
TCP/IP. The term "server" is meant to apply to both individual
computers and to systems containing more than one computer.
FIG. 1 illustrates the steps of a method 100 for providing, in
response to a user's request, content specifically designed and/or
modified for delivery to and rendering on the user's communication
device. In a first step 102, the user request and the network
address of the device sending the request are received at a server.
The network address is used in step 104 to determine whether the
request originates from a fixed or a mobile device. If the device
is fixed, the request is redirected to a server hosting content for
fixed devices in step 106. In some cases, the server receiving the
request and the server providing the content are one and the same.
If the device is mobile, the mobile network may be determined,
again based on the network address of the device, in step 108. This
determination step 108 may utilize a database of fixed and mobile
communication networks containing the network address ranges of the
devices serviced by these networks. Such a database may also
contain information about the particular type of device associated
with a certain IP address. The request is then redirected to a
server hosting mobile content specific to the user's device and/or
network in step 110. This mobile content can be a version of the
requested content adapted for display on the mobile device, or it
can be enhanced by additional content specific to the user's mobile
network or device, e.g., by one or more advertisements. The method
can further include storing content specific to, typically, a
plurality of mobile devices or networks, but at least the user's
device (step 112), and causing content specific to the user's
device or mobile network to be transmitted to the user (step
114).
FIGS. 2A and 2B depict a system 200 in which method 100 can be
implemented. FIG. 2A illustrates the operation of the system with a
mobile device 202A, and FIG. 2B illustrates the operation of the
system with a fixed device 202B. The system includes a server 204
hosting web content, and a DNS server 206 containing URLs of (at
least some of) the web content hosted on server 204, along with the
network address (e.g., IP address) of server 204, in its DNS
look-up table. Further, the system includes an enhanced DNS server
system 208 (containing one or more servers) with mobile discovery
enhancement, and a sever 210 hosting "mobilized" versions of the
content on server 204, i.e., versions adapted for display on
various mobile devices.
When the DNS server 206 receives a request for content stored on
server 204 from a communication device 202 (whether the devices is
fixed or mobile), it directs the device 202 to resend the request
to the enhanced DNS server 208 by providing the corresponding
network address. DNS server 206 is, directly or indirectly,
authorized to do so by the content provider of the web content
stored on server 204. For instance, the DNS server 206 may be
operated by the content provider of a specific domain or domain
family having content stored on server 204, and resolve URLs
pertaining to this domain. Alternatively, the DNS server 206 may be
operated by a hosting service which stores content of domains
belonging to various content providers, including the content
stored on server 204.
The device 202 sends its redirected request for URL resolution to
the enhanced DNS server system 208, which contains a facility 212
for identifying the communication device from which the request
originated. This facility includes a module 212a which determines,
based on the network address of the requesting device, whether the
device is fixed or mobile. It may further include a module 212b
which, if applicable, identifies the particular mobile network and
(optionally) the type of mobile device. In order to determine this
information from the network address, the facility 212 can, for
example, utilize a database of fixed and mobile communication
networks containing the network address ranges of the devices
serviced by these networks.
The enhanced DNS server 208 also contains a facility 214 for
resolving a ULR corresponding to content stored on server 204 into
the network address of the server (e.g., server 204 or 210) hosting
the applicable device-specific content associated with said URL,
based on the network and device identified in module 212. As shown
in FIG. 2A, the enhanced DNS server 208 responds to the request
from a mobile device 202A with the network address of a server 210
hosting a mobile version of the desired content, i.e., a version
adjusted to or adapted for the particular mobile device.
In response to receiving a request for content from the mobile
device 202A, the server 210 sends the content to the device 208. In
some embodiments, the mobile content is supplemented with
additional media content specific to the user's mobile network, the
device, or both. This additional content may be provided to server
210 by a server 216 associated with the mobile carrier, and may,
for example, take the form of targeted advertisements, either
sponsored by the user's mobile carrier or by a third party in
collaboration with the mobile carrier. FIG. 2B illustrates the
above-described process when the requesting device is a the fixed
device 202B. In such cases, the fixed device 202B receives the
network address of the server 204 from the enhanced DNS server 208,
and subsequently receives the desired fixed content from the server
204.
To determine which server can provide content suitable for the
user's device, the enhanced DNS server 208 may include a database
housing data supplied by the user, including, for example, the
mapping of domain names to IP addresses for websites the user often
visits on his or her desktop computer. The database may further
house data supplied by the manager of the enhanced DNS server, for
example, mappings of the mobile versions of web pages likely to be
requested by users to network addresses. In some embodiments, the
mappings are grouped by mobile carrier. The enhanced DNS server 208
may also contain an updater facility which periodically updates the
information stored in the enhanced DNS server 208.
The determination whether the communication device is fixed or
mobile and the identification of the specific mobile network do not
necessarily have to take place on the same DNS server. Instead, as
illustrated in FIG. 3, a first DNS server 306 can include a module
306a for determining whether the communication device 202 is fixed
or mobile. If the device is fixed, the DNS server 306 returns the
network address of server 204, which hosts the requested content.
If the device is mobile, however, server 306 provides the network
location of a second server 308 enhanced by a facility 308b that
determines the user's mobile network, and a facility 314 for
resolving the URL into the network address of a server 210 hosting
a version of the requested content adjusted to the device 202. Upon
request by the device 202, the server 210 provides mobile content,
optionally supplemented by content from a server 216 operated by or
otherwise under control of the mobile carrier.
Device-specific content can be grouped and hosted in various ways.
In some embodiments, the server 210 hosting content for mobile
devices is part of the enhanced DNS server 208, or is a related
server operated by the same manager. In this case, the server 210
typically (but not necessarily) hosts several mobilized versions
for multiple content providers, i.e., mobile content derived from
the content stored on multiple servers 204 and adjusted to several
mobile networks. The server 210 can be partitioned according to the
different content providers and/or mobile networks. In alternative
embodiments, a wireless carrier manages the mobilized versions of
content otherwise stored on multiple servers 204. In this scenario,
the versions adjusted to different mobile networks but pertaining
to the same original content 204 are typically located on different
servers 210 operated by the corresponding carriers. In yet another
class of embodiments, the provider or host of content stored on
server 204 may also host the mobilized versions on server 210. The
three described distributions of fixed and mobile content are
exemplary only. Combinations of all three embodiments as well as
additional embodiments are possible and within the scope of the
invention.
In another aspect, the invention provides an article of manufacture
having a computer-readable medium with computer-readable
instructions embodied thereon for performing the methods described
in the preceding paragraphs. In particular, the functionality of a
method of the present invention may be embedded on a
computer-readable medium, such as, but not limited to, a floppy
disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magnetic tape, a PROM, an
EPROM, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM or downloaded from a server. The
functionality of the techniques may be embedded on the
computer-readable medium in any number of computer-readable
instructions, or languages such as, for example, FORTRAN, PASCAL,
C, C++, Java, C#, Tcl, BASIC and assembly language. Further, the
computer-readable instructions may, for example, be written in a
script, macro, or functionally embedded in commercially available
software (such as, e.g., EXCEL or VISUAL BASIC).
Although the present invention has been described with reference to
specific details, it is not intended that such details should be
regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention, except as
and to the extent that they are included in the accompanying
claims.
* * * * *